Coping strategy
by summerlove1
Summary: A one shot of Stiles and Lydia finding comfort in one another after all they have been through, enjoy!


**A little drabble I found on my laptop, I can't even remember writing! ( I think it was removed from my other story "Anchors" if you want to check that out it would be greatly appreciated!)Reviews are great and loved xoxox.**

 **Coping strategy**

In the end, even she didn't understand how she had ended up at his house. His Dad let her in and directed her to his room – which wasn't necessary as she already knew where it was. The hallway was dark, just the light of an outside streetlamp pooling through the window just slightly, illuminating the end of the corridor in an orange glow, but most importantly, shadowing the rest of the hall.

Lydia was greatful for the darkness. On her face images of grief were escaping uncontrollably, and it was difficult to stop – or at least, taking longer than it usually would. His door was closed and in the darkness the dark wood was difficult to differentiate from the walls, so Lydia ran her hands cautiously over the wood before knocking. Distantly she could hear music playing. It was soft music, the type found only in coffee shops and Sundance film soundtracks.

In the time she waited, her nose twitched relentlessly and her mouth formed unintentional curves. She took a few deep breaths and pulled her lips tight so they couldn't move. Her main goal was to try and calm herself down – but that was also why she was here. In truth she wanted a mirror right now – not because she cared about what she looked like in front of Stiles, but because then she could stare at herself and tell herself how stupid she was being like this. So unsure, she hated being overcome with vulnerability

At that moment the door opened, a thousand little reflections of herself standing in front of her.

"Lydia"

"I – your Dad let me in"

He stepped out of the way so she could come inside the room. It wasn't much brighter than the hallway, just the lamp and laptop screen on his desk lighting the blue carpet, and the moon outside shining in. Lydia didn't like that Stiles still hadn't pulled the curtains together, at night she felt everything was on show, any one could see in. It was a softer glow than the harsh stare of the hallway, less of the room was shadowed away. Part of her felt drawn to the shadowed corners.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" He asked, though still closing the door behind her. She turned to face him.

"No, I'm okay, thanks"

He wore grey and blue striped pyjama pants and a grey top, his hand fell awkwardly without any pockets to hold themselves in. In fact, Lydia noted his whole stance was awkward. He stood rigidly with one foot crossed over the other, almost like he had been caught off guard, so that when he stood in his room he looked more like the guest unsure where to go than she did. It was strange, she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she should. Carefully, he moved tot the desk chair and sat down. Naturally, she took the bed, their usual stance when they would revise together if it was just the two of them.

The soft sheets relaxed her as she propped up the pillow and sat with it against the wall. The bed was darkened - a little too far away from the light to clearly show her features and movements - it made her feel safe. Already she had let too much show, and not just to anyone, she was unguarded and open in front of Stiles.

In contrast, she could see Stiles clearly by the reflection of his laptop. It radiated the left hand side of his face first, but when he turned slightly to look at her his nose and eyes became clear and featured in the bright light. It caught his face unaware and exposed, suddenly disclosing every little flicker of feeling he had. Unintentionally she found herself studying the curves and shapes of the exposed silhouette - the softness in the bridge of his nose and how his eyes rested at either side so impeccably framed by asymmetrical eyebrows carelessly groomed, wholly roguish and cute. When he carelessly smiled at her shadowed figure in the dark he radiated a warmth and complete intensity Lydia blinked at the brightness. He was half exposed, half shadowed by the light forming a silhouette of himself. He was revealing just enough to her that she had to look away.

"Did you drive here?" He asked. Lydia knew enough about him that he was really asking "Why are you here?" - but it was becoming their thing not to question each others sporadic and often careless visits. In truth, they both already knew.

"No, I walked. I was in the area" That was a lie.

Between them music hummed out, a little too quiet to hear the words, but she knew the tune by its soft melody. Slowly, she brought her knees to her hand and wrapped her arms around them. In a breath, tensions in her body were beginning to slowly loosen. At her actions, she mused at his reaction to it. His lips became pressed together slowly growing lighter that their normal rose colour , and the caterpillar eyebrows furrowed into one, just for a second those dark eyes shadowed over. Concern.

They were hung in that moment, not really sure how to move forward, exhausting the small talk. It was clear he did not like seeing her like this, and a million solutions were in his head about how to make her happy again, but he couldn't decide which one. The light exposed everything he felt - confused, concerned, helpless. In honesty, the look he was giving her, it hurt her. She wanted him next to her, partly so he too would be engulfed in darkness; mainly so he could be next to her.

"Stiles" She said suddenly before she realised.

"Yeah" The intense depth of the moment suddenly gone.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Yeah, sure" He smiled. Quickly he unplugged his laptop and brought it over to the bed.

"Move up, don't hog all the space" softly she wriggled over to the other side. He sat down and stretched his legs out. She did the same. "What movie did you have in mind?" he asked.

"You can pick" She smiled. He placed the laptop so it lay softly on her right knee and on his left. It was warm to her skin.

Her eyes felt heavy in the dark alcove of his room. The bed was shadowed by long curving shapes that softly blocked the dim light of the lamp as if to give them privacy away from the world. Somehow, in the cold night and dark corners of today Lydia felt safe and warm lying lightly over the creased grey t-shirt, her head slowly rising and falling with the soft and sure movements of Stiles' chest. Her lulling eyes trying to compete with the moving pictures on the laptop screen. The light it reflected onto Stiles face kept on distracting her.

The computer screen painted light and dark shapes onto his face, like an unsure artist, splashing patterns over the canvas in helpless anarchy. They echoed the arks and creases of a tired heavy face. The lids softly were drooping before blinking. In all his effort she could see the attempt to keep watching the movie was feeble and doomed. Most importantly, she could see him clearer than in the brightness of the day. His face looked relaxed and younger without the mask of the day and sun.

The air hung around their entangled bodies like a bubble, cocooning them to the bed, to the endless moment, to the dying night. She watched him, his falling eyes, the softness of his face reacting softly to sleep, she was half sure he knew that she was studying him from the smirk that slowly appeared over his shadowed face. His arm that had somehow weaved around her waist pulled her close, half in tired instinct, half out of reaction to the moment.

"Stiles?"

"Mhmm?"

"Are you asleep?"

"No" He smiled, "I can see you watching me" The smirk was fully forming on his face, if his eyes were open, she would be sure they would be alight with a devilish shine. Softly, she rested her head once again to his chest.

"Thank you" She murmured

"Mhmm, no problem" His head fell slightly crooked her way, and his body turned slightly under hers to face her. From her head on his chest she could tell he was asleep. She had wanted to say more and the words hung on her tongue urging to be spoken into the dark. Now was not the moment to do so, even if now she was ready to.

In reaction she closed her eyes too, closing the laptop lid. She was warm, like he was, and now they were almost engulfed in darkness. It was nice, in the end this moment would only ever be between them. In the morning - if morning was to ever arrive - inevitably, they would return to the careful friendship in the light of day.

She wondered, as her mind began to slumber away in beat with his rising chest, if at night they could return here, to this utopia of comfort. Now, she knew she wanted to. She was content, immeasurably so. In a last breath, sleep closed around her.


End file.
